Karachi to Elect 42 Cantonment Councillors as ECP Begins Delimitation Process
By Our Correspondent
Karachi: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has begun preparations for holding the forthcoming local government elections in cantonment areas across the country. As part of the initial phase, the electoral body has started the process of fresh delimitations of wards to ensure updated electoral boundaries before the polls are conducted.
According to the schedule announced by the ECP the final list of the newly drawn wards will be issued on April 20. The exercise is aimed at adjusting ward boundaries in line with population changes and administrative considerations so that local representation in cantonment boards reflects the latest demographic realities. The spokesperson of the ECP said schedule for filing of nomination papers and polling date will be announced after completion of the delimitation process.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has a total of 42 cantonments where local government elections are held. Among these, 20 cantonments are located in Punjab, 11 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three in Balochistan and eight in Sindh province. Of Sindh’s eight cantonments, six are situated in Karachi, making the metropolitan city the largest hub of cantonment-based local bodies in the province.
In Karachi, local government elections in cantonment areas are conducted for councillors of the cantonment boards, with each ward electing one councillor. As a result, the number of wards directly corresponds to the number of elected seats. Altogether, Karachi’s six cantonment boards comprise 42 wards and therefore 42 elected councillor seats.
The six cantonment boards in Karachi include Clifton Cantonment Board with 10 wards, Faisal Cantonment Board with 10 wards, and Malir Cantonment Board with 10 wards. Meanwhile, Karachi Cantonment Board has five wards, Korangi Creek Cantonment Board has five wards, and Manora Cantonment Board has two wards. Together, these form the total of 42 wards across the cantonment jurisdictions in the city.
Unlike the city government’s administrative setup based on union committees, cantonment wards in Karachi are generally formed around clusters of neighbourhoods such as housing phases, residential sectors and colonies. For example, the Clifton Cantonment area includes Defence Housing Authority phases and Clifton blocks, along with settlements such as Gizri, Delhi Colony and Punjab Colony. Similarly, Faisal Cantonment largely covers Shah Faisal Colony, Falcon Complex and residential areas around the airport.
Malir Cantonment primarily comprises Askari housing schemes and residential sectors within Malir Cantt, while Karachi Cantonment covers historic Saddar and Civil Lines neighbourhoods. The upcoming delimitation process is expected to clarify the exact boundaries of each ward before the schedule for the cantonment board elections is formally announced.
